Hermosa also boasts the upscale, 96 -room Beach House Hotel. Suites with impossibly comfortable beds and Frette linens feature wood-burning fireplaces and a private balcony or patio. Most look onto a beach where strapping young lads set up volleyball nets and reenact scenes from Top Gun. If watching this spectacle proves too taxing, a retreat to the bath's spa tub reveals a generous stash of Aveda products and a token rubber ducky. For those in need of serious downtime, an in-house spa offers massages, facials, and body wraps.

Of course, Hermosa is best experienced out-of-doors. For a Zen experience, the hotel can arrange a waterside yoga session. These days the surf here is not too strong, so more vigorous activities include boogie-boarding and swimming.